Erskineville Oval, Sydney

Erskineville Oval was first used as a sporting ground following the inception of the local senior NSW Australian Football League in 1903. This inception was brought about after the success of a Fitzroy-Collingwood game held at the Sydney Cricket Ground in 1903. Soon after, the formation of 11 local senior teams occurred.[7] This included Newtown which would become the home team of Erskineville Oval from 1903 until they folded in 1987.[8] Since folding, the Newtown Football Club has been reintroduced as a junior Auskick AFL team in 1999. No longer able to use Erskineville Oval as their home venue, the junior club would instead choose a new home venue in Alan Davidson Oval, Sydney Park.[9]

The introduction of rugby league came about through the Newtown Jets. This is occurred during their move from Metters Sport Ground, their previous home ground, to Erskineville Oval in 1913. This move was due to the Metters field being repeatedly reported as too hard to play on as well as lacking the sufficient facilities for the team and supporters. As such, the Newtown Jets were moved to Erskineville Oval which provided more reasonable resources. The club later moved to Henson Park in 1954 as Erskineville Oval could no longer provide adequate crowd amenities for the clubs supporters.[10] The last ever first grade rugby league match to be played at the ground was on March 26 1954. In the game, Newtown played against Canterbury-Bankstown. Newtown won the match 16–13. [11]

The ground is currently a home ground for Souths Juniors as well as The Alexandria Rovers who play in the Sydney Combined Competition.

Erskineville Oval is a regular training venue for many boxing athletes under the tuition of Johnny Lewis. Johnny Lewis is a well renowned boxing training who, as of 2017, was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. From as early as 1960, Lewis would train Australian boxers on the steps of the main grandstand of Erskineville Oval. Here, boxers such as Jeff Fenech, Jeff Harding and Kostya Tszyu would practice from as early as 6am. All of whom went on to become boxing world champions in their various weight classes.[12]

In 1937, Erskineville Oval was subject to renovation by the council under the NSW Government's Erskineville Rehousing Scheme. The park was temporarily taken over by the council during the length of the project. This plan included the implementation of multiple flats and the instalment of the Lady Gowrie child care facility. Both additions were built upon the oval and in the surrounding Erskineville neighbourhood. The housing scheme constructed during this time is one of the only housing projects conducted during the inter-war period. It is also the only project undertaken by the Housing Improvement Board in this time.[13] After the completion of the project in 1940, the oval was reconstructed.[14]

The completion of the Erskineville Rehousing Scheme resulted in the implementation of Fox Avenue, a street that intersected through the previous land of Erskineville Oval, creating two separate land entities. This newly separated piece of land bordered by Fox Avenue and Swanson Street was later named Harry Nobel Reserve in 1960.[15]

In 2006, Erskineville Oval received facility upgrades in preparation for its temporary use by the South Sydney Rabbitohs as a training ground. This upgrade was done in consultation between both the City of Sydney Council as well as the South Sydney rugby club. The renovations were funded by a $300,000 package from the council as a part of their $100 million investment to upgrade and create local green space.[16]

In this project, upgrades were made to the ground surface with the further installation of an oval perimeter fence. Seating capacity was also increased as well as refurnished. Furthermore, pedestrian access was added onto the oval from Ashmore Street as well as upgraded training lights and public toilet facilities for both player and spectator use.[17]

In January of 1902, a local running race occurred in Macdonaldtown Park, now Erskineville Oval, over 50 yards. The race followed an argument between several men which attracted a crowd of locals to view the race. Although not an official competition, the requirement for qualification was deemed that each entered competitor must weigh over 17 stone (106 kilograms) and would take place at 3pm of the following Saturday. The race consisted of 5 competitors. At its completion, each competitor was given a consolation prize with the winner receiving a medal and ham from the local butcher.[21]

In 1905 a local cricket game was abandoned at Macdonaldtown Park due to a stray cow wandering onto the playing field and dying on the wicket. The 3rd grade Western Sydney competition game between St. Silas' Institution and Lyndhurst was forced to be abandoned after the incident with the outcome of the match to be determined at the end of the season. The appearance of a cow was not uncommon during the time in which over 100 cows were estimated to be owned by local farmers within the Macdonaldtown area.[22]

Before their move in 1954, Erskineville Oval was the sporting venue for Newtown Jets. Towards the end of their stay in 1950, a series of thefts were undertaken in which multiple squares of the grounds surface were cut out of the oval and removed. It was later revealed that a local school boy by the name of Warren Allen had been removing parts of the oval everyday after school. From here he had carried each square of turf to a local unused hard earth tennis court. Here, he had replanted and watered the grass, creating a backyard football pitch in which his friends could use.[23]